You have young children who get sick in the middle of the night, who get up to go to the bathroom, who have bad dreams, etc. who want Mom and Dad or siblings nearby. Get a house that's right for them for the next ten years, not later on. And, of course, there's a safety element of having all the bedrooms on one floor in case of fire.

Sounds as if you need a two-story. However, some one-story ranches will have enough bedrooms for all of you now--they can keep a family close knit yet suit you when you're empty nesters. Look for a ranch that has a finished basement for a media or rec room but with all the bedrooms on one floor or budget for building a basement rec room.

I'd go with the master and 2 bedrooms at ground level and 2 bedrooms in the lower level (not need to call it basement).

I agree, but like i said no real interest in a 2 story, unless it has a main floor master which negates your points of being close by. This is a country acreage that isnt really reproduceable somewhere else as far as privacy and somewhere we want to stay as its also close to town, so i agree 10 year plan is ideal, but we are planning on being there as its truly a spot we want to be at long term.

Do you have two boys and two girls, or ?

I'd do three bedrooms for the kids on the main level: 2 bedrooms with walk in closets (that can be used as changing rooms) and 1 bedroom or area that can be a flex space/ play room/ hang out. If you consider bedrooms to be toy-free quiet spaces only for sleeping, reading, changing clothes, you only need one for girls and one for boys.

I would suggest you find an architect and discuss with him/her what might work best. What works for one family doesn't necessarily work for another

2 boys 1 girl and 1 to be determined

Our good friends have three boys and two girls ranging in age from 4 to 13. They have a new single level with basement and this is working well for them: Master + two bedrooms with jack jill bath + powder + office on main, family room, + guest room + full bath on lower level.

so are the kids sharing rooms or do they have 2 up and 2 down?

Just the two kids bedrooms upstairs: one boys bedroom and one girls bedroom. Bedrooms have no toys. Just clothes and beds. Crafts/sewing goes on the office, toys and tv are in the basement family room. Sweetest kids you'll ever meet.

Oh! The basement guest room has toys in it right now too, but I think the long term plan is to set it up like a proper guest room for grandparents.

Make sure carbon monoxide detectors are installed my garage and that they can be heard in your room

My girls share a bedroom and it's great with the exception of wanting privacy to change clothes. Now that my daughter is nine, privacy is of great concern to her. If I were to build new, I'd still have them share a bedroom, but I'd give them a walk in closet they could use as a small dressing area.

@arokes726 Yes - open floor plans are beyond overrated when it comes to family/great rooms. I feel badly for those who have to listen to Fortnite seemingly 24/7. So happy they have a separate space away from the rest of the house.

To each their own, I have a traditional house now with several rooms and it drives me nuts, trying to find what twin 5 year olds are getting into is rather annoying. I am either trying to get dinner ready and they end up sneaking into the living room and wanting to watch tv, or we are in living room and they sneak into kitchen and raid what they can find, no thanks, rather see whats goong on and not deal with a maze.

I agree Alison - I'm just stating my experience with older kids and how you should be thoughtful not to design your house for "little" kids - because they're only little for a blink of an eye. You turn around and they're shaving and dating, lol. Especially if it's to be your "forever" house.

By 3 up are you meaning 3 kids plus master or 3 total including master?

My idea - all bedrooms on main level, master closer to garage and laundry, kids rooms on other side of the house. Use baby monitors when they are young if you can't hear them.

If I were building, I would try to give each person their own room. (I shared my sister - love her but hated sharing since we have different personalities and different needs for light and quiet that caused constant fights.)

Basement toy/game room and future teen space and guest bed room, full bathroom. Kiddo can sleep downstairs if grandparent later need main floor rooms when they visit.

We have a two story with the master down, no basement in Houston, unfortunately. We pass from the garage through the laundry to a hall just outside the master bedroom. family room in center of the house, kitchen and dining room passed that. It is very convenient day to day, a little less on grocery shopping day. The alarm key pad is in the laundry room and no one is getting in or out without me hearing it. ;-)

Our game room is over the kitchen and dining room, not over our master bedroom and that is has been a blessing, not hearing the thumpty thump of bigger kid feet.

Would anyone have a preferance on the split having the kids bedrooms tucked back behind kitchen on garage side vs what seems to usually have master there? It seems like it would give them a little more space, or is the master preferred back there? Just feels like we will be watching tv rite outside their rooms on what most plans show with them off of living room.

I think that getting an architect or a designer you trust involved would help with layout. We went to our designer saying we wanted four bedrooms up, office on main, open concept, attached garage and mudroom, guest room and rec room down, two bedroom suite. The rest was her laying it out. No point in me trying to figure that out as I would have buggered it up! But we definitely knew a few key rooms we wanted on each floor and that was important to share.

Yeah we are l, just trying to get a real world feel from people who have actually lived in that type of set up as to if they wish it any different, im sure architect will have input, but so does real world experience haha.

We are building a ranch with a walkout basement on secluded acreage. My kids would have a 1/4 mile driveway if they escape...haha! I feel it is safer to escape in a fire from a ground/basement level than a 2nd story window. We don't plan to move, and the idea of a 2nd story 10 years from now didn't make much sense. Kids are currently 12,11, 8. If I had newborns still, I would plan to have their room later convert to an office/2nd office/craft room. Basements can be done very nice. We are planning at least 9 foot ceilings and very spacious kids' rooms. If their rooms were on the (expensive) main level, it would be hard going larger than 10*12. My kids do better each having their own quiet space, so we are not in the bedrooms for sleeping only camp. I did not want window wells for my kids bedrooms, so that plays into the possibilities.

My parents had a one and half story cape cod. Master bedroom and guest room on the main floor and two bedrooms on the second story - one very large and one average. My father said no matter how many kids he had, he'd have enough bedrooms. He and my mom had 6 - three of each!

We have 3 children and are building a 2 story. We debated back and forth, we especially like the look of a ranch but ultimately decided it best to have Master on main floor, staircase directly outside our bedroom door and the kids rooms above on our side of the house. We are hoping to later install a door at the top of the stairs where we can close off later in life. We meet with the architect Friday so I am sure he will have ideas of his own. But I know every time we have rented a vacation house with split floor plan I detest running across the whole house in the middle of the night to get one of the little ones. Which happens quite often on vacation. I don't think I will love running up the stairs in the middle of the night but hopefully it won't be a regular occurrence and I will feel closer with them right above us vs across the whole house.

Different arrangements work for different people...

I'm always fascinated by the design approach of birth control via floorplan — those homes where kids' rooms abut the master with only a thin wall in between.

"...Maybe should just do a 2 story but as we plan on staying, dont really want that upstairs space later on..."

Well...here's the thing: a house designed for four young children, plus parents is one thing. A house designed for four adolescents, plus parents is another thing. A house designed for two early empty nesters is another thing. And a house designed for two aging empty nesters, one of whom has limited mobility and/or dementia (or is a long term resident in a nursing home) is another thing.

What does this mean? It means that, despite one's longings, there's really no such thing as a forever house. Our lives and lifestyles change, sometimes in planned, predictable ways, and sometimes in other ways. So we have to be realistic. And adjust.

With young children at home, one proven good approach may be to "zone" the house so that adults and the adult zone are on one side of the living/family area and the children are on the other side of the living/family area, in a children "zone". While this may present some early challenges if the children are very small, by the time they become school age, and have developed responsible habits, it is a very good and workable approach to house design.

This "zoning" can work on one level, or on two levels. The issue with basements, is always exterior doors and unmanaged, unsupervised coming and going, wherever the exterior doors are located. Locating children's bedrooms in the basement may encourage unsupervised child and adolescent behavior. Walk-out basements are popular in real estate listings, but probably not a good idea, IMO, for the location of unsupervised children and adolescent bedrooms. If one is going to build a house with a basement and children's bedrooms, it may be a prudent idea to not include exterior doors in the basement. Every parent has to be aware of this situation and make their own decisions.

If it was my house, I'd either design a one-story or two story design, and forego a basement. But everyone has their own set of values.

The other useful approach to "zoning" is that when the children leave home, their "zone" may be closed off, doors shut, and that part of the house essentially shut down until/unless the children return for visits. This allows maintenance and utilities to be managed and minimized when necessary.

At some future point, even a design with "zones" may become too much to manage, maintain, pay the mortgage, utilities and property taxes. When/if that happens the forever house goes on the market, and new, more appropriate living quarters are needed.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your project.

Put all bedrooms on the same hallway in the same level. As far as God's plan, make sure each bedroom is equipped with seatbelts.

I wouldn't be so quick to avoid a 2-story, especially if this is a long term home.

1. You can set up the 2nd story with separate HVAC and hot water. So once the kids are grown you don't have bother with heat/ac or hot water up there, except as needed.

2. If the property is important, you may want to maximize your outdoor space by using a 2-story to minimize the footprint of the house.

3. Since the first floor master is important, you can design a first floor room to convert to a master in the future with minimal renovation when the time comes.

4. If, as happens with many families these days, you end up with a multi-generational household in the future (cause who knows what the future holds), the 2nd floor can help give everyone their own space.